Third Sunday
by Carolina-not-Caroline
Summary: A look at the Dixon family Father's Day celebrations for Daryl. From When Expecting Universe.Father's Day AU. No Zombies.


It was the third Sunday of June.

It was Father's Day and she couldn't be more excited.

This Father's Day would be Daryl's fifth Father's Day and she wanted to make it more special than the others before. Daryl deserved that.

Daryl Dixon is an amazing father, and on the third Sunday of June she always made sure everyone knew so, since she made sure Daryl knew he was an astonishing father every day.

Her husband is a natural with their children. He might have been a nervous wreck when she first told him about her first pregnancy and when Hunter arrived, but Daryl went into fatherhood head on the second she told him about the expectancy of first baby out of the three she at least wanted.

She was so proud of him because of that. She knew all of Daryl's demons. She knew of his fear about being like his father. She knew of his doubts about not being able to accurately play his role in their family. She knew about his concern about the toxic Dixon blood that shaped so much of his younger life. She knew that Daryl never thought he would be a father; that before her he didn't want to be a father and spread the Dixon "curse." She knew of all the monsters that plagued her husband's mind and she could _never_ be more proud of him because he conquered them all.

She would never choose any other man to father her children but Daryl Dixon.

Daryl was strong. He was an honest to God man who protected who he loved, and who wanted to give them nothing but the best. She honestly believed that in the dictionary a picture that could define the word 'father' was a picture of Daryl.

The mere fact that Hunter and Daisy loved their father so much was proof enough of how he is the **World's Greatest Dad**.

Their children absolutely love their daddy. Hunter and Daisy would basically throw a party every single weekday when Daryl arrived home from work.

Every day at 5:15 p.m. Hunter and Daisy would stand by the screen door of their home and would wait expectantly for their daddy. And when the roar of Daryl's truck hit their ears, all that could be heard in the house were shouts of "Daddy! Daddy!" from three year old Hunter, and "Da-da! Da-da!" from one year old Daisy.

Their household was truly chaos whenever Daryl arrived home from work. Hunter and Daisy were basically puppies when their daddy arrived. They would jump like crazy, and slap at the screen of the door once Daryl exited his truck. All Beth could do at that moment was watch adoringly as their children greeted their dad.

She loved that five o'clock hour so much. She loved watching her children go ballistic over their daddy, but she especially loved the wide smile Daryl would sport as he headed to Hunter and Daisy, and accepted their hugs and kisses. She loved many things but she loved more than anything else the love Hunter and Daisy had for Daryl. Their love all warmed her heart and then some.

No one deserved more love, unconditional love, than Daryl Dixon.

That is why she always made Father's Day super special for Daryl, it was the least she could since Daryl always did the same for her on Mother's Day.

On Daryl's first Father's Day Hunter was six months old. That third Sunday in June she woke up early, made a special breakfast for Daryl, and then proceeded to have Hunter wake up his daddy. Hunter was already sitting up so she placed him on the bed by Daryl's head, and allowed him to place slippery kisses to Daryl's brow, and slap his daddy's head until Daryl woke up with a sleepy smile.

That Father's Day, Beth gifted her husband a coffee mug that declared him **World's Greatest Dad** , and a scrapbook. In the scrapbook Beth placed all of the pictures she had of Daryl with Hunter. Daryl feeding Hunter his first bottle. Daryl changing Hunter's diaper for the first time. Burping him. Holding him lovingly in his arms. Playing with him. And to Beth's heart attack Daryl throwing Hunter in the air playfully.

The mission of the scrapbook was to demonstrate to Daryl just how great of a father he was, because even if he had just been a father for just six months at that time, Daryl was already one of the best father's in the world. Perhaps better than even her daddy.

On Daryl's second Father's Day, Hunter was one year old and six months. That Sunday she woke up early too and made the same special breakfast. Daryl was awoken that morning the same way too. By Hunters messy kisses, slaps in the head, and shouts of "Da-da! Da-da!"

That year she presented her husband with a t-shirt that declared him, once again, **World's Greatest Dad** and another scrapbook that retold Daryl's one year journey as a dad. The scrapbook showed more pictures of Daryl being the greatest dad to Hunter. Pictures of Daryl helping Hunter walk, Daryl walking through the park with Hunter on a carrier. Pictures of her boys playing cars. And one Daryl's favorite pictures him and Hunter loving her, "the most important woman in the world," as he liked to call her.

On Daryl's third Father's Day, Hunter was two years old and six months, and she was eight months pregnant with Daisy. That Sunday she stuck to tradition despite her huge belly that would get in the way. She made the same special breakfast for Daryl and she woke him up –well Hunter woke him up- the same way as the previous years. This third year, however, the slaps in the head were replaced by tickles from Hunter and less –but not really- messy kisses. To Daryl's wakeup call she also added Daisy's kicks. It was as if their baby girl knew what day it was so she kicked away that morning, and helped, too, to wake her daddy. To Daryl that was his best wakeup call to date.

She gifted her husband one of the snapbacks he liked to wear that, once again, declared him **World's Greatest Dad**. She also gifted him another scrapbook that demonstrated just how great of a father he and husband he was. This time also the scrapbook had illustrations by Hunter Dixon. Yes they were mostly squiggly lines and more lines, but to Daryl and to her that was the best scrapbook to date. It had pictures of Daryl determinedly potty training Hunter. It had pictures of Hunter and Daryl smiling and proudly standing next a deer Daryl hunted. It had pictures of Daryl and Hunter playing in the sand at the beach, and it had pictures of her two boys loving her and her pregnant belly.

Last Father's Day was Daryl's fourth. Hunter was three years old and six months, and Daisy was just a few days shy of turning one. The celebrations went on about the same as the last three years. She made Daryl his special breakfast with the help of Hunter. And Daisy helped her brother wake their daddy up with slippery kisses and slaps in the head while Hunter did it with shouts and raspberries.

That Father's Day she and the kids gave Daryl a bumper sticker for his truck that, once again, declared him **World's Greatest Dad** , and another scrapbook. Like the years before the scrapbook held illustrations by Hunter, and more pictures, that now included Daisy, showing how great a father Daryl was. Pictures of Daryl holding Daisy for the first time. Pictures of Daryl helping Hunter hold Daisy. Pictures of Daryl burping Daisy, playing soccer with Hunter, changing Daisy diapers, swinging Hunter in the swing whilst carrying Daisy on a carrier, and pictures of the four of them loving each other.

As for this year Beth stuck to the same tradition. She had already finished making Daryl's special breakfast that was a platter of bacon, eggs, hash browns, sausages, and waffles and was on her way to wake up Hunter and Daisy so they could wake their daddy up.

Four year old Hunter and almost two year old Daisy woke up as if it was Christmas morning once she told them what they had to do. Her kids basically all but ran to their bedroom, and jumped Daryl to wake him up. She suspected, though, that Hunter and Daisy's laughter of mischief woke him up way before the hops in the bed, kisses, hugs, and raspberries did.

This year she presented Daryl a Trapper pocket knife, whose blade declared him **World's Greatest Dad** once again. She also gifted him another scrapbook that now did not just hold illustrations by Hunter Dixon but by Daisy Dixon as well. In the scrapbook there were all sorts of pictures. Pictures of Hunter, Daisy, and Daryl playing cars. Pictures of the mess the three of them did when they tried to make her waffles for Mother's Day. Pictures of all of them at the beach. Pictures of them proudly supporting her in an exhibition of her students. And of course Beth's favorite pictures which were always the first page of Daryl's scrapbook. Pictures of the previous Father's Day where Hunter and, after a while, Daisy woke up their daddy, gave him some love, and showed him just how great of a father Daryl was.

Because he is so. Daryl was the **World's Greatest Dad** , and she would always make sure he NEVER forgot that.

 **Well I hope you guys liked this. Father's Day is tomorrow and I felt the need to wish a good one for Daryl because C'mon we all know he would be an amazing father. My aunt post a video of my baby cousin waking her up with kisses and baby slaps on the head, and it was so cute that it inspired me to write this as well. Anyways thank you for reading and please leave a review. I would truly appreciate it:)**


End file.
